Page 15 of Joshua's Mistake
She’d sat down in the copilot’s chair and turned toward him. She dreaded knowing the answer, but she had to ask. “Then let me be more specific, Mr. Lakeland. Can you read my mind?”
“Not without making an effort. Though, I think the probe left a thread linking us. I sense more from you than most people I’ve just met. I get your general mood, feelings and the erotic nature of your dreams. Normally I would need to establish a link or focus my energy on a subject. With you it feels natural to be connected. I don’t have an explanation for it.”
Her gut tightened, but it was more excitement than dread over their strange connection. “What else can you do? You manipulated the locks back at the beach house, so you can move objects. Telekinesis can be handy. Can you see the future, the past, find objects?”
In the blue instrument lights, she could see his mouth turn down. She could also feel his frustration growing. Was it because he didn’t like her asking him questions? Or was there something else?
“I’m not required to divulge that information to you, Ms. Clark. I strongly suggest you stop asking so many questions.”
“I probably won’t take your advice. I tend to be pretty inquisitive by nature.”
His mood lifted. She couldn’t help liking the feel of his mind, his emotions tickling the perimeter of hers. They were familiar and yet she’d never met him before. She closed off her mind. He had enough information about her and she knew nothing about him. Not really. She knew he had killed more than his share. She had seen it in his mind. Though the recollection of him gently pushing his way into her memories made her skin prickle with awareness, which was not unpleasant. He could have plundered her brain for what he needed. If he had told her the truth, he had the highest psi rating ever recorded. It would have been nothing for him to grab the information he wanted and get out. It would have hurt like hell and probably left her damaged, but it would have been quick and efficient.
Yet he hadn’t done that. He had asked her to let him in and when she’d struggled to pull down her barricades he had eased her into submission. He was a curiosity for her. Why had he helped her and why was she still with him? Obviously, he needed to protect himself, but he didn’t have to keep her with him. He could have chained her back up to the table and saved himself. Why hadn’t he?
“We’ll be landing shortly.”
She looked out the window but didn’t see an airport. “Don’t you have to call in for clearance?”
“We’re not landing at Key West International.”
She didn’t ask where they would land. She had a feeling she wouldn’t like the answer. A few minutes later her suspicion was confirmed when he picked up the radio headset and put it on.
“Will908…J110 here. You got me?”
Tessa picked up the second headset and put it on. All she heard was light static for several moments.
“J? Really?”
“In the flesh and in your air, Will.”
“Give me three seconds…out.”
The line went dead. Joshua removed his headset and she did the same. She had no idea what or who Will908 was, but she watched out the window for some sign from below.
After what seemed an eternity of silence Joshua pointed. “There, eleven o’clock.”
She turned in the direction just left of the nose of the plane. A short double strip of lights showed the way to land.
Moments later they touched down between those runway lights. The space directly in front of them was pitch-black and Tessa suspected overshooting the runway meant driving headlong into the sea.
He ran a quick shutdown check on the plane and turned toward her, smiling.
“We’re here.”
She couldn’t help the short laugh that escaped. “I guess we are.”
Before they’d made their way out of the cockpit something pounded on the door. “That will be Will.”
The door was barely unlocked when it was pulled open the rest of the way by a hulking man of at least six and a half feet with shaggy blond hair and hands the size of meat hooks. Instinctively Tessa crouched into a defensive position. He might be bigger, but she was still confident she could do some damage before he knew what hit him.
His actions were abrupt and perhaps her experience in the past few months had made her jumpy. Since waking, she’d kept her mind closed off to keep Joshua out of her head. She let her barriers down and pushed her sense toward this newcomer—she felt nothing but elation.
Further owing to this was the fact he wrapped Joshua in a bear hug that might have crushed a lesser man.
Joshua laughed and returned the death grip. “Good to see you, Will.”
“I couldn’t believe it when I heard the radio.” Will grabbed Joshua’s arms and held him away, giving him a thorough once-over.
